


familiarity

by Marrs



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Barista!Hide, M/M, a lot of flirting and a lot of puns, coffee shop AU, haise just wants coffee but theres a cute barista, saiko is the wingman lmfao, so many puns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-06-04
Packaged: 2018-04-01 04:13:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4005499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marrs/pseuds/Marrs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Well, could I.. uh, also have your number? Because I like you a latte."</p><p>In which, Hide's a stunning barista who captures everyone's hearts, Haise loves coffee and puns, and Saiko really just wants Haise to get a boyfriend already.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i like you a latte

There’s a small coffee shop that Haise likes to visit. It’s on the corner of a small street, with a few tables out the front and a lot more inside. There’s a variety of coffees to pick from, but he always takes his coffee black.  
  
The coffee is splendid, it's brewed with care and made tenderly for the best result. The taste is different to most other coffees, but it isn't necessarily a bad thing.  
  
Mainly, he comes to the coffee shop because there’s a cute bartender with blonde hair and a personality as bright as his hair. His voice is bubbly and could probably make angels sing, and even though Haise has never once talked to the cute coffee boy, he likes to look at him from a distance.  
  
He briefly wonders if his past self also admired people from a distance too, but he shrugs it off as a fleeting thought and doesn’t think about it twice.  
  
There’s a sense of familiarity about falling in love in a coffee shop; perhaps his past self had also fallen in love in a familiar setting, he tries to avoid thinking about his past self too much though. The luminescent blonde also gives off a vibe of familiarity, a sense of _home_.  
  
It’s quite odd, that a stranger he’s never even once talked to, gives off a sense- a feeling -of being at home and also quite safe at rest, but Haise dismisses it. He always has an odd sense of familiarity at coffee shops. The combination smell of coffee brewing, the dim lighting and the calm music never fails to make him feel happy, and he doesn’t think it’s just the coffee that makes him feel that way (although, it is a factor).  
  
He sips his coffee and looks out the window. The sky is bright and sunny. The entire set and scenery gives him deja vu, but he hasn’t even quite remembered anything yet. It’s odd, and he licks his lips.  


* * *

  
  
When Haise first has the dream, he doesn't think of it as anything odd.  
After all, it's quite normal to have dreams about attractive people- so he doesn't find it odd when he first sees the attractive barista (who always gives him a smile as bright as sunshine) in his dreams.  
  
Although the blonde looks a bit younger and his hair is quite shorter, the sunshine boy appears to be around eighteen years of age in his dream. The blonde has a pair of headphones wrapped around his neck with a bright yellow jacket that screams to be noticed by the world. He, himself, appears to be holding a book, but he can't quite make out the words of the book.  
  
Nothing really happens, but they appear to be sitting in a coffee shop (which gives off an oddly comforting vibe, although Haise has never seen the coffee shop before) and Haise doesn't really remember much of the dream other than one sentence that comes out of the blonde's mouth.  
  
_"Hah, if I was able to go on a date I wouldn't be out here on a date with you."_  
  
Haise has no context to the conversation before and after that sentence, dreams are foggy to him and he very rarely remembers his dreams, he always seems to forget things. He doesn't really see that as odd though, the fact that he has a short term memory, he's practically forgotten his entire life already. He doesn't even know how old he really is, which is quite sad, actually.  
  
(Haise always feels sick when he remembers this fact.)  
  
Despite that, he feels lightheaded knowing that the blonde in his dream had considered sitting in a coffee shop having casual chitchat a date.  
  
Haise has a feeling that, rather than a dream, his vision was a memory.  


* * *

  
  
"Hello," the sunshine barista says. "What would you like today, sir?"  
  
Haise pushes down the feeling in his stomach, the familiarity that the sunshine boy gives off. "Uh, just a black coffee in medium size please," he says. _Like usual._  
  
"Is that all?" Sunshine boy says.  
  
"Um, yeah. That's all," Haise says. He stops for a second, and looks at the cute barista in the eye and his stomach churns nervously for approximately a seventh time since he entered the coffee shop. "Well, could I.. uh, also have your number? Because I like you a _latte_." (He couldn't drop the pun, it was absolutely necessary.)  
  
The blonde barista chuckles. "That was a terrible pun," sunshine boy says while he's making the coffee. "Um, what's your name?" the blonde asks grabbing a medium sized cup from a shelf and a black marker.  
  
"Ah, um, Sasaki." Haise says.  
  
The blonde begins to write down his name, and then puts the cup down once he's done, then begins pouring the contents of the coffee into the cup. ( _I probably fucked up; he's probably not even into men._ Haise thinks, cursing himself mentally) The blonde puts a lid on top of the cup, and passes the cup to Haise who takes it and begins to make his way out of the cafe to prevent anymore awkwardness.  
  
"See you next time!" Sunshine barista says, with a sunny smile on his face.  
(Haise thinks in his head, _if there's even a next time_. Sasaki thinks he probably won't come back, because that was way too awkward and he doesn't think he'll ever be able to encounter the blonde again now. He's definitely not smooth at all, he thinks.)  
  
When he finishes his coffee, he's about to throw the cup into the trash and stops abruptly when he sees the part where his name is engraved has a little too much text written on it.  
  
_sasaki-san!! <33  
__yo there, yes you can have my number!  
__(you mocha me crazy~~ ;))  
__69 420 666 123 xx ^_^  
__ps. i'm nagachika!! :))_  
  
Haise flushes red (and glares constantly at the dumb pun that the barista boy had written on the cup. Not that the blonde is to blame, because he himself was the one to say a stupid pickup line at first).  
_Nagachika, huh?_


	2. you mocha me crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i feel like this should have jsut ended on the first chapter but u know what im gonna continue this w/ever this entire chapter was dialogue oh my god i'm so fuckin bad @ writing dialogue just cut me already

Haise texts the number (despite knowing his name, he saves Nagachika onto his contacts as _sunshine_ which is embarassing enough as it is) once he gets home and finishes work, and also making dinner for the children and making sure they're all home.

 _hello? is this nagachika-san?_ he texts. He promptly wonders if he should have dropped the -san suffix, but he decides that it shouldn't really matter and it would probably be weird to call him just his name without honorifics without really knowing him too much.

  
_oh, hey!! :D this is sasaki, rite? u're the cutie from today, i hope? u can drop the honorifics btw. ^_^_ he recieves a text, almost a minute later. Haise blushes profusedly at the _cutie_ comment, and thanks the lord that he's in his own room so nobody can tease him for blushing about something so minor.  
  
_are you flirting w/ me??_  
  
_ding dong we have a winner!! ^o^ i have to make it obvious. >< besides, u flirted w me first so obvsly i will think that u're interested. or are you not, anymore?_  
  
_ah, well, i mean, i am. but ah this is rly straight forward. i usually don't get very far w/ ppl i flirt w/ so i actually dont know what to do at this point._  
  
_well, if u tell horrible puns like that to every person u flirt w then that's probably why u dont get any of their numbers -_- i just gave you my number bc i am a person that can enjoy puns when i hear them_  
  
Haise grins. _they just cant handle me, i'm punstoppable. ;)_  
  
_god no, you sasucki x-x_  
  
Haise actually laughs out loud. _thats mean. you're ruthless._  
  
_yes i'll bring u out on a date to make up for it xxx_  
  
Haise scores a date through making puns and he feels really good about it.

* * *

 

"I heard Hide was back?" Haise hears some chitchat going on around the CCG as he walks around today. He doesn't really know who this Hide person is, but he seems to be popular with the people.  
  
"That was that part-timer kid from a few years ago who randomly got shifted to become a detective here, right? He was a good kid. Didn't he get seriously injured after that coffee shop raid though?"  
  
"Yeah, but he's still alive. Apparently he's coming back now though. He's in good condition now apparently, word says that if it's true, he'll be put in Mado-san's squad."  
  
"Seriously? A rookie?"  
  
"Yeah, apparently he was really sharpwitted though, and he worked with Mado-san before so..?"  
  
Haise wouldn't really care about rumors, but his ears picked up once he heard Akira's name being dropped in the conversation. Somebody new/old was going to be placed into her squad? Why hadn't he heard of this from her, himself? Then again, they were only rumors.  
  
Soon, he was going to go to a date!

* * *

 

The phone starts ringing, "hello?" Haise answers.  
  
_"Ah, yo! It's me, Nagachika,"_ he says (Haise almost drops the phone out of actual shock). "I haven't seen you since that day you told me a really bad pun and I wanted to hear your voice before the next time we meet! You're really cute and you have a cute voice too!" Nagachika says.  
  
Haise blushes. "Thanks," he says. "You too, I gue-"  
  
"Mamman! Make dinner, I'm so hungry already!" A bluenette shouts through the other side of the door, knocking rapidly.  
  
_"Mamman?"_ The voice on the other end of the line says.  
  
"Um, I'm not a mother," Haise says. "If that's what you're thinking," he laughs. "That was um.. my.. alright, I do kind of see her like a daughter but I'm not a mum, I'm not her dad either. We just have a very familial relationship. I'm kind of like her permanent babysitter for now."  
  
_"Yeah, I think I understand. Go make dinner for her now, she's hungry. And so am I."_  
  
Haise sighs and groans, stretching. "Ask Mutsuki to make it!" he yells back at Saiko.  
  
"I already asked him!" Saiko says. "He said to ask you! Can't you teach Urie to cook? Or Shirazu? Wait, he'll probably just burn the house down, don't ask Shirazu to cook. But I bet Urie could cook if he tried!"  
  
"Saiko, I'm on the phone with someone!"  
  
"Can't you just put it on hold?" she moans, still shouting from the other end of the door. "My stomach is more important. Who are you talking to anyway?!"  
  
"S- s- someone important." Haise stutters. "Wait, why do you care anyway?"  
  
"I'm coming in!" Saiko says, then walks into the room and takes the phone from Haise's hands. "Who's this? You better be someone important, like maybe his girlfriend or boyfriend.." she says, talking to Nagachika.  
  
"Saiko! Give it back!"  
  
"No way!" she says. "So?" she asks to the other side of the call.  
  
"Oh, yeah, um, I'm Nagachika. Sasaki and I have been flirting for a bit with eachother. We haven't been on a date yet, so I don't really think we're dating, but I'll bring him to a date soon so I can ask him out!" he says.  
  
"Ohoho," Saiko says with an evil glint in her eyes. "Okay, I understand. I'm hanging up now!" She says with an all too happy smile on her face and then ends the call. When she's sure the call has ended, "make dinner for me now or I'll tell everyone in the house that you're flirting with a random guy."  
  
"He's not random," Haise says, puffing out his cheeks. "He works at one of the coffee shops I go to. And he's very cute, okay. Besides, nobody in here will really care that I scored a date."  
  
Saiko smirks. "You sure about that?" she says. "Everyone! Mamman sco-"  
  
"Fine! I'll make dinner for you! But shut up about it!"  
  
Saiko fistpumps victoriously.

* * *

As Haise is making dinner, the blue haired girl sits on the stool with her PSP as she waits for the food to be finished, and hums a (very obnoxiously cocky) tune.  
  
“So when are you going on that date, mamman?” she asks seemingly innocent.  
  
Haise chokes.  
  
“How did you know?” he asks, a dark aura emitting from him.  
  
“I looked through your texts,” she says bluntly.  
  
“Bloody hell, for someone never does anything you’re really quick at invading people’s privacy,” Haise says.  
  
“So when?”  
  
Haise stays silent for a brief second, and only the sounds of the pans shimmering in the background can be heard. “Um, we’re hoping that we can schedule a date hopefully on Saturday.”  
  
“Where?”  
  
“Saiko, if you’re planning to stalk me on my da-”  
  
“No,” she ‘pfts’, “I have anime to watch on the weekend. As if I would go outside for even _you,_ mamman,” she says. “Just… curious.”  
  
There’s an awkward pause.  
  
“Hey mamman,” she says (there’s obviously a teasing hint in her voice, anybody could tell from a mile away), “isn’t this your first date ever in your life?”  
  
Haise opens his mouth to retort but he realizes, that _yes_ it is the first date he’s ever been on, and maybe his previous self might have been on many dates, but this would be the first date that he’s ever _remembered_ and that’s.. kinda sad. He closes his mouth, Saiko understands what his silence means.  
  
She snorts. “Mamman’s never been on a date.”  
  
“Saiko, have you?”  
  
“Yes! My first boyfriend was the son of a yakuza leader from the Kuroba cla-”  
  
“Saiko, that doesn’t include dating simulators.”  
  
She pfts. “Okay, well, I did have _one_ real boyfriend. I didn’t... like him very much though.”  
  
Haise doesn’t ask any further.  
  
Saiko changes the topic quickly, “on the weekend, we’re going to get you _pimped_ for your date!”


	3. we would be great, you and chai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Haise-kun,” Hide says, “before you lost your memories, we were actually best friends. Unbreakable, unshakable. Stuck to the hip.” Hide nods, “I found out in… uh… unconventional ways, maybe.. but you are Haise, even if you did what you did, even if you’re a ghoul or a human, you will always be my best friend. Well.. now you’re my boyfriend. Maybe.”

Before Saturday arrives, Saiko and Haise had gone outside (surprisingly, by her own will) to go buy some new clothes for Haise’s date because quote, _“you don’t wear anything besides that coat, that buttonup and your pyjamas. You can’t wear any of those for a date, no.”_  
  
(Haise asks her, _“why not?”_ and she replies with _“Because you can’t wear work attire for a date. That’s like your barista boy popping up for a date still wearing an apron. Just don’t.”_ and he can’t really argue with that, so he settles down and agrees to buy some clothes for a date with her.)  
  
Eventually they settle down on a casual print shirt, a black vest, some skinny jeans, and vans shoes. Saiko thinks it makes him look cool and punk, but Haise just thinks it makes him look like a teenager. He follows Saiko’s judgement though, because it’s not like he’s any better at her with his fashion sense.  
  
*  
  
Saturday eventually arrives, and Haise’s in his new date clothes and waiting (half an hour early) for Nagachika to arrive. They agreed to meet up in a restaurant called Big Girl at 1PM, which apparently makes really godly burgers, according to Nagachika (not that Haise can _eat_ or anything), then they would go off from there.  
  
Nagachika arrives at 12:47PM, Haise notes.  
  
The blonde is in a gray tight-knit sweater with a buttonup shirt underneath and wearing casual jeans that fit his hips perfectly. Haise thinks the attire seems a little bit familiar, but he shrugs in off.  
  
“Ah, you were already here! Did you wait for long?” Nagachika asks, seemingly in an embarassed tone.  
Haise smiles fondly, “ah, no I didn’t wait at all,” he says.  
  
“That’s what they all say.” Nagachika says. “Do you want to go inside?” he says, pointing towards the entrance of the restaurant.  
  
“Um, if that’s alright with you,” he says. “Let’s go!”  
  
“Henceforth into the heaven of burgers!” the blonde says.  
  
They find a table for two, (Haise’s a bit anxious and he wonders if Nagachika will force him to eat food) and a waiter comes along a few minutes later and asks what they want to eat. Nagachika orders something with probably a lot of meat. The waiter looks at Haise, as she waits for his order next.  
  
“Um, I already ate lunch just an hour ago, I’m fine,” Haise says. ”I’ll have, um, water though.”  
  
Nagachika eyes Haise. “You confuse me, friend. If you didn’t want to have a lunch date, you could have said so.”  
  
“Well, it’s not really about me…” Haise says, scratching his head. “We can watch a movie or go to an arcade after this anyway.”  
  
“Wait, well, that wasn’t the only thing that confused me though.” Nagachika says. “You’re… a ghoul investigator, right? That’s just judging off the coat and the briefcase that you bring everywhere with you though, so, just validate that for me, will you?”  
  
“Um, yes, that’s correct.” Haise says, surprised at Nagachika’s perceptiveness.  
  
“But I’ve never seen you… eat anything? Does coffee count as eating? Not really. You drink black coffee and water, and... “ Nagachika pauses then looks around them, “can I whisper something to you?” he asks him, to which Haise nods as an answer.  
  
There’s a long pause between the both of them, as Nagachika inches closer to Haise’s ear. (Haise can already see that Nagachika’s probably added the facts up. But not very many humans know about the coffee thing?)  
  
“Sasaki…” Nagachika says. “Are you…” a pause, “a ghoul?”  
(If Haise had water in his mouth, he for sure would have spit it out, even though Haise already half-expected the blonde to know about it.)  
  
“What if I was?” he says, his voice going a pitch lower.  
  
“I think… that would be _really_ hot.” Nagachika says. “Why are most ghouls really hot, you know? Do you just unlock the really pretty gene once you become a ghoul? I knew this one ghoul girl and she was _really_ cute, like _really_. My best friend is also a ghoul, and one of my college senpais too, also this little girl I know she’s really precious. I’m okay with it, you know? I was actually friends with this entire ghoul community, like they’re all great. I wasn’t that close with them, but I knew them all.”  
  
“Oh.” Haise says, sighing in relief. “Do you have like.. a kink, or something?”  
  
“Well, no. It’s just that the people I happen to fall for are always somehow ghouls. At first I thought it was impossible that you would be one, because you’re an investigator, but then coming here just validated my suspicion. You gotta tell me the story of how you’re a ghoul investigator _and_ you’re a ghoul, like, how exactly did that happen?”  
  
Haise opens his mouth, “well, um, maybe we should talk about this.. somewhere more privately?” he suggests. “I’ll wait until you’re finished eating,” he says.  
  
Nagachika shakes his head, refusing insistently. “Ah, I’ll just go take-out. Let’s go, Sasaki-san!” he says, and cleans up his food, picking up the burger as he stands out of his chair ready to leave.  
  
“I told you, you can drop the -san, you know.” Haise says, then stands up too and leaves the burger restaurant with Nagachika (who is walking, eating _and_ talking at the same time, how do humans even do that?)  
  
“Awh, okay! I just thought it might have been rude. I actually knew my best friend for _ages_ , and I still call him by his last name, but he called me by my nickname. Pretty weird, don’t you think?”  
  
Haise shakes his head, “I don’t think that’s weird at all. Maybe he was just a shy person, and you seem like the type of person that appreciates nicknames a lot, Nagachika-san.”  
  
Nagachika rolls his eyes, “and you keep telling me to drop the -san, when you’re still using it,” he teases. “But you were really spot-on about that anology! I think you can call me Hideyoshi, or Hide! Only if you want to, but I would really appreciate it!”  
  
“Hide?” Haise asks, the name rolls off his tongue, almost naturally (Haise can’t shake off how familiar the name sounds). “Alright then! In that case, you can call me Haise!”  
  
“Haise! Wow, okay!” Hide says, seemingly shocked. “I _think_ I may have heard of you around somewhere! _Haise_ , the kid that’s training a squad with kids that are barely younger than him! The first rank investigator, but _also_ the SS Ranked Class Ghoul.~” Hide says, waving his fingers about dramatically. “By the way, you need to tell me that story of yours.”  
  
Haise looks around him to see if there are any people listening, (there aren’t) so he leans back against a brick wall. “So, well, I lost my memory and I don’t really know what happened before I lost my memory. So they told me how I was a creature called a ghoul, explained what they were, and told me they would give me shelter and food in exchange for the price of becoming one a CCG member.  
  
“I met.. um, Akira, who’s kind of like a mother to me. I don’t really know my real mother, but I feel like.. maybe my mother would be similar to her. Hardworking, dedicated, strong, loyal. Honestly, if it weren’t for Akira I think I might have already left the CCG, but she was there for me and always bought me back to reality. I love her in a very familial way, she’s amazing.  
  
“So then I got assigned to mentor the Quinx Squad, and I got very attached to the each of them as well. I think a few of them see me as their parental figure as well, despite me being only a few years older than them. To be honest, I don’t even know my true age, actually. So I think, if there was any reason, why I would be staying there in the CCG, despite how anti-ghoul some of them are, would be the people. And maybe because I don’t really have anywhere else to go.” Haise finished. “By the way, how did you know all that stuff about me?”  
  
“You’re very cheesy, Haise-chan,~” Hide says, teasingly. “And uh, I have, uh, connections.”  
  
“To whom?” Haise asks.  
  
The corner of Hide’s mouth lifts the slightest bit to form a smirk. “Akira and I _may or may not_ be friends. I _may or may not_ be working in the CCG, just for a second job.”  
  
Haise freezes.  
  
“You’re the one joining Akira’s squad?”  
  
Hide nods vigorously.  
  
(Haise thinks, ‘ _that’s why his name sounded so familiar…._ )  
  
Haise sinks. “So? Don’t you know about all that ugly stuff that I did? The person I was before…?”  
  
Hide stands in front of Haise, the blonde’s hands touch Haise’s hair and cup his face gently, “Haise-kun. I don’t care. If I didn’t care before, there’s no reason for me to care now, is there?” Hide says.  
  
“Before? What are you say..-?”  
  
“Haise-kun,” Hide says, “before you lost your memories, we were actually best friends. _Unbreakable, unshakable_. Stuck to the hip.” Hide nods, “I found out in… uh… unconventional ways, maybe.. but you are Haise, even if you did what you did, even if you’re a ghoul or a human, you will always be my best friend. Well.. now you’re my boyfriend. Maybe.”  
  
“We.. were best friends?”  
  
“Yeah, childhood bestfriends. But.. um, about the boyfriend thing?”  
  
Haise laughs, “I wouldn’t mind at all,” Haise says. “We would be great, you and Cha _i_ ,” Haise laughs.  
  
Hide punches him in the stomach. “No more coffee puns for you, Sasaki-san!”  
  
Haise laughs and buries his face into Hide’s shoulder. “Frappuci _no_ , Hide.”  
  
“I swear to god, Haise!”  
  
“I’ll stop, but you have to tell me what I was like before.. maybe. I don’t know if I want to find out. Was I a good person?”  
  
Hide smiles warmly at him (Haise notes, his smile shines as brightly as the sun), “you were my favourite person.”  
  
Haise’s heart skips a beat, or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first name basis boys

**Author's Note:**

> my first hidekane/ao3 fic got 200+ kudos!! (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ what the heckies!! how did that happens!!! ????
> 
> so ye now i'm back w/ another hidekane fic (a chaptered one !!! woohoo !!!) so yo yo yo i'm ready to go !! (◡ ‿ ◡ ✿) drop a comment, leave a kudos !! i would appreciate it, ty!! :))


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